Composite Decking

[sram9102]

Any contractors out there have a recommendation for composite decking? We're moving and I just tore off the rotten old deck and want to put composite back down. I'm replacing everything from the ground up but have zero experience outside of regular wood decking. Half the reviews I have read are consisting of all composite is terrible and scratches and stains easy. I'm open to spending some money but want it to be a material that is going to last.
Weather wise I live in the northern half of indiana.

 

[atmat]

I’m not a contractor, but I did build myself a 20x10 deck during COVID lockdown.

I was originally going to use lumber, but at the time it was so costly that composite wasn’t a ton more costly — so I went with composite.

A few years in and it’s holding up awesome. I wouldn’t build a regular lumber deck ever again. I live in north Texas, which gets blistering sun/heat in the summers and frequent hail in the spring. The composite has held up waaaaay nicer than a second deck we have that’s made out of wood.

My biggest caution is that it heats up a LOT in direct sunlight. For that reason, I wish I had chosen a lighter color.

Edit: we went with one of the cheapest model of Trex boards and honestly it’s still very nice.

 

[Broomd]

I rebuilt mine in 2017, after the deck I originally built in 2007 failed completely. The expansion and contraction of that GAF ELK "Cross Timbers" product was heinous, was a huge class action lawsuit. Lived with that mess for about ten years as I refused to spend the labor and money to do another.

Our current Trex Trancends deck has been trouble-free for almost six years, ...ton of sun, heat and weather year 'round. I did it right and it's paid off.

 

[bohntr]

Had my retirement home built with composite decking……it’s been great for the five years I’ve had it. No issues at all.

 

[def90]

I work in construction, I don't do decks but I see them all the time on the homes and commercial projects I work on. So far the one thing I've noticed is that you get some Colorado summer sun on them and they start to sag between the joists. Maybe the products the builders have been using are shit but I would never use composite based on what I've seen.

 

[Dust Rider]

Have used lots of Trex with good results. Remove snow with plastic shovel, no metal edges. It can scratch and gouge if you drag heavy stuff over it. Composite is slicker than sh** when frozen.
Do not over drive/ sink the screws.
Pick neutral colors that do not fade excessively over time.
Joist distance is 12” with Composite, but most people do not follow manufacturer specifications. RTFM.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

Also built my deck with basically the least expensive composite decking home depot has, brown in color. It's on year 4, looks great and has held up well so far in mountain climate. Previously always had wood and having to stain every year was getting old. It's nice not having to worry about splinters when barefoot as well. Get good grill mats for your smokers and grills to avoid grease stains.

 

[MattB]

A friend and WKR posted "Timber Tech Legacy" as an answer to this question on another forum. Something to look into. Presuming he will post here.

 

[cnelk]

Each of the composite manufacturers have their own specs for joist spacing. Many put the joists at 16" o.c. when they should be at 12" -14" o.c.

I did a front porch/ deck project on an old Historical house with T&G composite decking.

 

[WV Mountaineer]

Do not over drive/ sink the screws.
Pick neutral colors that do not fade excessively over time.
Joist distance is 12” with Composite, but most people do not follow manufacturer specifications. RTFM.

Bingo. Trex requires closer joist spacing. And, Don’t over tighten the screws in the hidden brackets either. Impact them flush and stop. If you strip the pressure treated structural lumber, the sun now has a possibility to pull and cup it. And it will EVERYTIME.


Don’t over sink trim screws on skirt boards that you are face screwing either. Same thing will happen. Just drive the screws flush.


Trex is all I’ve ever used and it does great as long as it’s installed properly.

 

[Txswift]

I went with composite 3 years ago so far so good. Joint spaced 14” and no sag

 

[NB7]

Rebuilt my deck with trex transcend last year. One thing I noticed, and wondering if anyone experiences, is the static that can build up. Especially when it's warm with good sunlight. I found it tends to build static electricity up like walking on a carpet and I frequently get that little zap when I grab the door handle to go inside. Anyone else see this?
I've got some composite furniture, some adirondack chairs a hightop set, and can feel the static barrier in the right conditions. Definitely didn't see that coming. But the tradeoff is it's all tough as nails

 

[Rich M]

The spacing of the joists needs to be tighter, the plastic isnt as strong as wood.

 

[2five7]

If your deck gets lots of sun, make sure to use a light grey or tan color. The dark browns get skin burning hot in the sun. I've build dozens and dozens of decks with all kinds of materials, I generally use the Home Depot Veranda brand, or the Lowes specific Trex Enhanced Basics, never had a call back on either of those.

Avoid the Trex railing though, never had good luck with it, and it's stupid expensive. Use generic vinyl to save money, or have someone do some powdercoated iron if you want something nice (assuming you live in the dry west)

 

[spike camp]

Joist Spacing greatly depends on if they’re solid composite boards or the cheaper style that has holes in the core.

I used timber tech solids on 16” and there is zero sag in Colorado sun.

 

[madgrad02]

We redid ours 3years back now. Got help with the framing being that it's all a 2nd story deck, but did the decking and railings myself to save costs. 6x6 posts into diamond pier footings for the hard frosts here in Wisconsin. Love it so far... power spray in spring and fall and has been trouble free since. Was the Trex Transcend if I recall

 

[cnelk]

Always a good idea to use flashing tape on top of the joists - this prevents any moisture penetration into the joist itself

 

[Broomd]

One other thing I did with our decking was to use Hardi board for the lower decking faceboards. I matched the finish to the above deck boards. It resists expansion and rain, and has weathered beautifully with no issues.

It's a cheap fix too should a mower deck or some other calamity happen.

 

[Beendare]

We do a lot of decks….I think the best bang for the buck is Timber Tech Legacy
Link here

Yeah, if you had wood before you will have to shorten the joist spacing for composite…it doesn’t span as far.

Don’t go real light or real dark…best is mid range colors.

 

[NB7]

Always a good idea to use flashing tape on top of the joists - this prevents any moisture penetration into the joist itself


View attachment 535234

Yep. I did this too but I used black Zip-tape. Two reasons for me, 1-helping to prevent moisture saturation into the joists, and 2- more of a side effect, just aesthetics, but I found the black doesn't stand out and makes the joists disappear when viewing down.